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Supernatural: You know where good intentions lead...

Look at this face. Is this the face of a consorter-with-demons? How can you not trust this face!?

Supernatural gives us Castiel's side of the story this week, and it's heartbreaking. Everything he's done has been for the best of all possible motives -- to save the boys, the save the world, to prevent Apocalypse 2: Electric Boogaloo -- but it's all turning bad. Plus, we got a statement of breathtaking hypocrisy and/or obliviousness from Dean, which makes us wonder if he's been watching the same show. Come on!

In the beginning
Our boy Cas has a long memory -- that happens when you're around for the birth of the universe -- but the most extraordinary event he witnessed was the one that didn't happen: The Apocalypse. He saw that choice and free will could save the universe. Granted, he also saw that choice and free will can get you messily exploded, but sometimes, you come back. And when you come back, you want to make things right.

In Cas' case, that means he wanted to rescue Sam from Hell -- which went badly -- and let the angels know about free will -- which went even worse. "Explaining freedom to angels is a bit like teaching poetry to fish," he says. Observe:

Castiel: No one leads us anymore. We're all free to make our own choices, to choose our own fates. Rachel: What does God want? Castiel: God wants you to have freedom. Rachel: But what does He want us to do with it?

Yeah. It's a problem. Then Raphael decides that freedom really doesn't work for angels -- he's going to take over, and he's going to restart God's plan. You know, the plan that ended with the Apocalypse and the boys serving as meat suits for Michael and Lucifer. Cas objects, but Raphael is much, much stronger than him. What can he do?

Read on for more moral quandaries, plus Dean's stunning oblivious statement, after the break!

Enter Crowley
Cas is tempted to ask Dean for help, but he resists, reasoning that Dean deserves his retirement. And that's where Crowley catches him, and makes him an offer -- if we work together, we can find purgatory and you can use the energy of all those monster souls to power up and take on Raph. "God chose you to save us," Crowley says, "and I think, deep down, you know that. " Oh, Cas. Pride is a sin for a reason...

But Cas takes the power of some loaner souls and forcefully rejects Raph's plan and starts his rebellion. Of course, if he wants to defeat Raph once and for all, he'll need those monster souls, so he keeps working with Crowley. Yes, he saves the boys from Crowley's henchmen -- and threatens to barbecue Crowley himself if he harms the boys -- but he's making compromises, and doing things he knows aren't that great, and... well, he's on his way to hell.

The discovery
All this time, he's doing his damnedest to make sure the boys don't realize he's working with their enemy. But eventually he slips up. He repeats something he shouldn't have heard, which is enough to make even Dean realize that Cas isn't what he seems. The boys trap him in holy fire and confront him, but Cas is unrepentant, if a little desperate. He tells Sam that he's the one who grabbed him out of Hell, which doesn't go over as he hoped: "Wait, did you bring me back soulless on purpose?" Cas is aghast that he can even ask that. Sorry, Cas, but your credibility is pretty much shot now.

Dean is furious and betrayed when Cas tells him that he had no choice. Of course you did! "When crap like this comes around we deal with it, like we always have. What we don't do is we don't go out and make another deal with the devil."

We had to pause for a moment to clean up the drink we spit out, scream at the television, and then coax the cat out from under the couch. SERIOUSLY? The Winchesters seems to do nothing BUT make deals with one demon or another. Mary made the deal with Old Yellow Eyes, as did John 20-odd years later. Dean made the deal with Crowely, as did Bobby, as did Samuel, and Sam would have done the same if he'd gotten any takers. We get where you're coming from, Dean, and we love you, but maybe THINK before you talk, okay?

ANYway. Dean begs Cas not to follow through with whatever plan he's got cooking with Crowley. Trust me, it's not worth it, and we'll have to stop you. Cas seems to be unmoved. He leaves, and we next see him talking to God. Am I doing the right thing? Should I stop? Send me a sign, or I'm going through with the plan. God doesn't answer. It's all Cas' choice. Now what?

Highlights, thoughts and odds and ends
This episode, which could sub in for a philosophy lecture on the perils of free will, could have been really dry, but we were carried along with it. Granted, most philosophy lectures don't include the sort of snarky lines we've come to expect, so that helped.

Castiel: I remember the tower of Babel -- all 37 feet of it, which I suppose was impressive at the time. And when it fell, they howled divine wrath, but come on, dried dung can only be stacked so high.

We discover that Eve is most sincerely dead, but her reproductive system is not. She keeps producing eggs. That strikes us as ominous.

Crowley shocks Eve's dead brain. A vampire howls with pain.Crowley: Chocula here feels every tickle.Castiel:What good is that for? Crowley: Apart from the obvious erotic value, you got me.

Crowley: I am the only game piece on the board who doesn't underestimate those denim-wrapped nightmares?

Crowley also referred to the boys as "Teen Beat models" and promised not the harm a hair on their "artfully tousled" heads. We think Crowley's got a crush on the boys... and we don't blame him.

Bobby: I gotta tell you, Red, for a filthy, lower-than-snake-spit hell-spawn, you seem to have turned yourself into a damned fine Hunter. I don't know whether to kill you or kiss you. Demon: Oh, please, kill me.

Demons have a Bobby -- he wears a trucker cap, he's got a bank of phones so he can pretend to be FBI, and he's just as cranky. Our favorite part? He's named Ellsworth, which is the name of Jim Beaver's character on Deadwood. Hee!

Crowley improves the torture aspect of Hell by transforming the place into one endless line. It's like the DMV on steroids. Hey, Crowley watched Reaper!

Comments

But I don't think Dean understands the gravity of the situation Cas is in. He just goes 'Oh I get it - blah blah blah Raphael.' Uhm I love you Dean, but Raphael is a REAL threat. Sam and Dean just can't see it. I've been trying to dissect the situation and see if there's any way around Cas working with Crowley, and I can't find one. Raphael is an archangel and almost impossible to kill. It took the Winchesters everything they had to lock Michael and Lucifer in the cage and if Raphael restarted the Apocalypse, everything they did would be undone. I just don't think Sam and Dean understand that. Castiel was trying to explain himself in that sense but they just wouldn't let him. They just kinda drew the line at - you're working with Crowley? Ok you're our enemy now.

Of course in the beginning eps of this season we only saw this civil war through the eyes of Sam and Dean so it didn't seem like a big deal to them since frogs weren't raining down or stuff like that. Now that the story has been told from Castiel's point of view, we get a much clearer picture of that and Im sorry to say, I can't side with the Winchesters on this one. Pose the question to Sam and Dean about a restart of the apocalypse except this was back when Sam was still in the pit and Dean was retired. All that would've accomplished is Sam dead and the cosmic fight between Michael and Lucifer still happens.

All I can say is Castiel had no other choice. Dean's 'when crap like this comes up, we deal with it.' I really can't see how that would work. Raphael is way too strong and if Dean thinks he can just surround him in holy fire for the rest of time - thats just incredibly stupid.

I love Dean, but I totally agree- he's being a hypocrite. He worked with Crowley to stop Lucifer and now Castiel can't to work with him to stop Raphael?
@ melody - Tell me another way Castiel could stand up to Raphael. Otherwise, its submit or die. I can't see another way around it UNLESS Castiel instigates the rebellion. And without enough power, he cannot win that civil war and thus the apocalypse starts all over again. And this time, Michael and Lucifer would not be tricked by Sam and Dean again.

Another note - great ep, though I was really really sad for Castiel. He's always in these terrible positions! Always caught between sides... Poor guy I just want to hug him. LOL at the pic you posted of him. Super cute smile :)

They are upset about him working with Crowley, but it's the lies and the goal that have them really pissed. Bobby said it: one little bit of purgatory came out and it was Eve, what happens when they find purgatory and open the door? MONSTER FREAKIN" MAYHEM!

And I think it's important to note that Dean has learned his lesson. Eve gave him the choice last week to work for him and live, but he chose not too. She could have killed him outright, not taken a bite and that would have been it. He sees the wreckage that has been working with demons and recognizes just how badly this is going to go. Even working with Crowley to end the apocalypse didn't work perfectly, yeah they found death, but Crowley was a complete ass when he wouldn't give up Bobby's soul.

These guys know the score, they know how badly things can and most likely will go wrong, and they recognize what this deal has done to their friend. They have ever right to be pissed. Just because it makes them hypocritical, doesn't make Cas right.

Fantastic recap I also had a double take.
Where's Dean memory? Cass is like a child.
And children learn by watching and then they
Imitate. Where did Cass learn to deal with demon....ahem Winchesters!
The Winchester's bromance leaves little room for others. They didn't even make Bobby's hell deal a priority until he scolded them.
I fear this might be the end of Cass.